The start time of Friday's Game 3 between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks was delayed for approximately 40 minutes as police and security investigated a suspicious package found outside of Gate 2 of Atlanta's State Farm Arena, according to a statement from the Hawks.
The third game of the first-round series was originally scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. ET start, however, the tipoff was delayed for approximately 40 minutes while the situation was being investigated. As a result, the arena had very few fans in their seats prior to the scheduled start time.
The scene five minutes before the previously scheduled game time. pic.twitter.com/3syqpi41o1
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) April 22, 2022
After the investigation, the Hawks released a statement saying that "the contents of the package were not found to be explosive, and the package was removed safely by the Atlanta Bomb Squad," with the game scheduled to tip off at 7:55 p.m. ET.
A statement from the Hawks on the suspicious package found outside of State Farm Arena.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) April 22, 2022
The contents of the package were found to not be explosive and the package was safely removed by the Atlanta Bomb Squad. pic.twitter.com/YAQv5gJlnJ
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The Heat led the best-of-seven series, 2-0, heading into Friday's game. Due to the delay, the start time of Friday's Game 3 between the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns was pushed back to 10 p.m. ET.